The List That Started It All
A true story about trusting childhood instincts, honoring impossible dreams, and seeing them take shape in unexpected ways.
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I started acting at a very young age. My first performance came when I was five, in a musical production where I had to sing and act.
When I was nine, I even appeared on a TV show.
I did some modeling too as a kid — walking the catwalks for local children’s clothing designers who held runway shows at the mall. My mother signed me up because I wanted to try it. I just loved being in front of an audience. Later, I began competing in professional modeling competitions — and won a couple.
But even before any of that, I used to point at the TV and say, “I want to do that!”
I had always loved performing, even as a little girl — I just didn’t know that ‘actress’ was a real career.
But it was when I turned twelve that everything shifted.
That’s when I realized I didn’t just want to perform — I wanted to make it my career.
That’s when I wrote a list of everything I thought I needed to do to become a professional actor.
On that list?
Find an agent. Take acting classes. Join and perform in a theater troupe.
There were other goals on that list too — but three of the biggest?
Get interviewed by Oprah Winfrey.
Get interviewed by Entertainment Tonight.
And by Sonia Benezra, one of the most iconic Canadian TV hosts.
These weren’t just random wishes.
Back in the ’90s, Oprah, Sonia, and Entertainment Tonight were known for shining a light on new talent — for giving visibility to people who had a story to tell.
They weren’t just household names.
They were gateways.
And even at 12, I understood that visibility could change everything.
I even saw modeling as a gateway to acting. I’d say to myself, “Let’s do it — let’s keep our options open and create different paths.” I was a smart kid, and I think I understood visibility — and even the business a little better than most people my age. Not that I fully knew the business at that age — I was still figuring it out. But I picked up on things early, I think you get what I mean.
My parents didn’t know much about the industry — just that it had a reputation for being tough, sometimes dirty, where connections mattered and you had to be careful. So it was all me, guiding them: Send me here. Sign me up. I want to do this.
Back then, most 12-year-olds were focused on friends and fun — I’m speaking from what I saw around me, what my friends were doing — not mapping out a career.
Let’s just say… I wasn’t exactly the typical kid.
But I’ve always been driven. Even as a kid, I saw the world differently. While others were playing, I was at home learning something new or working on a personal creative project.
Today’s generation is different, but in my world at the time, making a list like that wasn’t exactly common. Looking back, it felt larger than life.
But life has a funny way of rewarding momentum.
Years later, something unexpected happened.
While producing and hosting my ACTRA-signatory show, Catching Up With Christine Solomon — a series where I interviewed Montreal figures about their paths to success and spotlighted select stories from the city’s entertainment scene — I was filming an episode at the famed Montreal Italian restaurant Buonanotte — a location the owner rarely allowed filming in. Yet he said something along the lines of, “For you, I will, because what you’re doing is wonderful and important.”
It was during that shoot, while I was interviewing a guest, that I was first introduced to Vince Guzzo, owner of Guzzo Cinemas — the largest cinema chain in Canada.
At the time, Heliopolis — an internationally acclaimed Egyptian film I starred in — was making headlines, screening at film festivals around the world and drawing media attention. The film had earned me a Best Actress award, drawn interest from major studios like Paramount, and was even praised by Robert De Niro at the Marché du Film during the Cannes Film Festival.
Its momentum was one of the reasons Vince Guzzo personally invited me to attend Notte in Bianco — an annual charitable gala hosted by the Guzzo family to benefit the Mgr Arthur Deschenes Foundation, raising funds for the Jewish General Hospital and the Montreal Shriners Hospital for Children, while honoring a select group of distinguished guests from the entertainment and business worlds.
That’s also when I got to know Vince Guzzo and his family more personally — a driven and generous man, deeply committed to uplifting Montreal’s creative scene. He’s someone who values innovation, supports meaningful causes, and isn’t afraid to shine a light on both emerging and established talent alike.
That night, Sonia Benezra was the event’s presenter.
She stood in the presentation area and introduced each of the honorees.
Here I was — one of them.
What I didn’t know was that I was going to be honored. I hadn’t submitted a biography, nor had I been told Sonia would be there — let alone that she’d be the presenter or speak about me. All I knew was that I was invited to this event — and that the attire requirement was all white.
And yet, the legendary Sonia Benezra herself presented me to a room full of VIPs, delivering a full introduction that highlighted my achievements and career journey — clearly researched and thoughtfully prepared. For those who’ve seen Sonia in action, you’ll understand.
I remained seated as she spoke — listening to every word in awe. When she called my name at the end, I stood to be acknowledged and offered my thanks.
She didn’t interview me exactly how I had imagined at 12 — it was even better.
She honored me.
While attending VIFF in 2009 for Heliopolis, which had been officially selected that year, my amazing publicist, Lesley Diana, had arranged several interviews, appearances, and events for me. I remember giving her a wish list — one that was ambitious, maybe even a little out of my league.
Among the top names on that list? ET Canada.
Lesley, in true publicist fashion, didn’t sugarcoat things just as any great publicist should. She told me it was a long shot. A big one. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she said gently — not to discourage me, but to keep me grounded. Still, something in me wouldn’t let it go. I had this feeling, deep down, that my path — my story — was worth being seen. That it mattered.
I’ll never forget the moment Lesley called me at the hotel.
“You’ll never guess who wants to interview you.”
“Who??”
“ET.”
I nearly cried.
This was something I had written down as a little girl. A dream moment.
I also remember my publicist telling me, after breaking the news about ET Canada, that they were intrigued by my story. She also added, “They want to know — who is this girl? — referring to the photos of me with Harvey Keitel, Quincy Jones, Matt Dillon… and other big names in entertainment. I was also a Canadian actress arriving at VIFF with a foreign film — an intriguing combination that stood out.
What ET Canada did next still moves me. They came to my hotel, rented a room, and set up the entire space to film the interview. We shot inside that room — but also filmed additional segments in the hotel lobby and outside. It felt like one of those polished, star-style segments I used to watch featuring major Hollywood names. For a moment, I felt like I was stepping into a dream I’d had since I was a little girl.
I ended up bumping into their team again — not once, but twice — on the red carpet. And they interviewed me each time.
I didn’t just appear on ET Canada once.
I appeared three times.
It wasn’t exactly how I imagined it as a kid — it was even better.
A full-circle moment: in 2024, while I was in Mississauga (part of the Greater Toronto Area) for a book reading and signing stop on a mini book tour for my second children’s book, Wishing Upon a New Moon, my publicist, Lesley Diana, sent out the press release that landed me an interview with David Oulton on his show Face to Face with David — a show that aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Although I didn’t get the chance to be interviewed by Oprah — as I once imagined — I appeared on a show that had aired on her network, OWN — a platform she built to amplify powerful, purpose-driven stories.
It wasn’t the moment I pictured at 12, but it was still deeply meaningful.
It felt like a quiet alignment with the kind of storytelling and impact I had always dreamed of being part of.
It didn’t happen because I forced it.
It happened because, without realizing it, I had built momentum early — and never stopped moving forward.
And yes — I still have that original list.
And over time, I began checking things off.
I signed with my first talent agent at thirteen. In my late teens, I joined what wasn’t technically a theater troupe — it was something even more dynamic: a professional touring theater production company based in Montreal. We performed full-scale shows, and were even hired to entertain at major corporate events, including for companies like Bombardier.
I often refer to that time as when I “really made the decision to act professionally” — not because I hadn’t acted professionally before, but because there was a specific moment — when I joined the theater company — that felt like the start of my real career. It wasn’t my first job, but it gave me a deeper sense of legitimacy, purpose, and belonging. I’m not discrediting my earlier work — I’m clarifying the emotional shift that made it all feel real. That was the activation. The real-world step. The point where the private decision I made at 12 began to fully unfold. That’s when I felt like I became a professional actor and was truly building a career.
Each step — from signing with my first agent to joining the theater company — wasn’t just progress. It was the quiet realization of a path I had committed to at twelve: turning my passion into a lifelong career.
I recently read an article by
about Shohei Ohtani — how even at nine years old, Ohtani had mapped out 64 actions he believed would help him become a professional baseball player.It instantly brought me back to my own 12-year-old self, sitting with a pen and paper, daring to write dreams that felt way too big for where I was at the time. It also brought a huge smile to my face — like, wow, another kid who was just like me.
That moment inspired me to write this piece — a reflection on how early clarity and steady progress can shape everything.
It also reminded me that writing things down — even if they seem wild — isn’t just wishful thinking.
It’s the first step toward building real momentum.
How to Build Your Elite Actor Momentum Map
Not basic advice — this is real, high-level career building.
Step 1: Choose One Core Goal
Example: Become a full-time working actor — not just ‘get famous.’
Step 2: Build 8 Elite Focus Areas
Step 3: Break Each Focus Area Into Elite Micro-Actions
Example under “Networking with Purpose”
Attend 1 high-level industry panel per quarter.
Research and connect thoughtfully with 3 casting directors per year.
Send genuine handwritten thank-you notes after meaningful meetings.
Momentum isn’t loud.
It isn’t always flashy.
It’s built quietly — on the days when no one is clapping for you yet.
At 12 years old, I had no idea that my scribbled dreams would someday take shape — in ways I couldn’t have predicted, and sometimes in moments even bigger than I imagined.
But they did.
Not by accident.
By momentum.
Imagine what could happen if you made your list today.
Want to Build Real Momentum? Start Here
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It also includes:
A Visibility Alliance Map worksheet
A space to plan your 30-day outreach strategy
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